❓ Dr. Honey questions the Minister for Police about funding for Soldiers and Sirens, a service for police, veterans, and first responders. The Minister responds that the service was federally funded and that the state government provides alternative internal and external mental health support for police officers.
AnsweredQoN 436Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SOLDIERS AND SIRENS
PROGRAM
436. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the hundreds of police, former police, first responders and veterans
who have used the services of Soldiers and Sirens. Will the minister
listen to the pleas for help from people who have benefited from this valuable
service and commit to finding $1 million to support it?
PROGRAM
436. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the hundreds of police, former police, first responders and veterans
who have used the services of Soldiers and Sirens. Will the minister
listen to the pleas for help from people who have benefited from this valuable
service and commit to finding $1 million to support it?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for his question. Soldiers and Sirens is a service provider
that was established following a federal government grant in 2019 by Hon Christian Porter of $464 000 over two
years. As I understand it, there are a couple of individuals involved in
that organisation and their proposal was that, as former police officers, they
would be able to provide a service that would be welcomed by police officers in
particular. They labelled the organisation Soldiers and Sirens to show that
they were also focused on trying to provide services to veterans. However, it
is a service provider.
It was recognised by the Western Australia
Police Force. The police provide internal, government-employed services. We have eight psychologists employed by
the department, and a further three are to be employed. I believe we now
have five police chaplains; when I entered Parliament there was one. In recent
times, resources and funding for services to police officers who need
assistance with mental health have increased astronomically—far more so
when we took office. It has been an extraordinary investment under the
leadership of Commissioner Dawson and our government.
However, services are not only
provided by internal resources; external approved providers are also able to be accessed by police officers. For those police
officers who do not wish to see health, welfare and safety branch staff and
would prefer instead to go outside to an independent provider, there is a list
of authorised providers, and Soldiers and Sirens was one of those. For the last
two years or thereabouts, Soldiers and Sirens, amongst other service providers,
has been available to any police officer who wanted to seek out its assistance.
I
can only assume that, following the end of the $464 000 grant, not enough
police officers are seeking out Soldiers and Sirens to sustain the
business—noting that it is a business; it is a proposal for the
provision of services as a business. If that were not the case, there would
have been enough police officers—the hundreds to which the member
referred—to sustain the business, because the Western Australia Police
Force pays for any police officer who seeks out the assistance of the external
providers. I can only assume that not enough police officers saw it as an
attractive option. That may be because, knowing that Soldiers and Sirens are
former police officers, a currently serving police officer who does not want to
seek assistance from an internal provider might view Soldiers and Sirens with much
the same concern as they would the internal providers, and would rather go to
an independent provider altogether.
I cannot say why that problem is there, but it is not because
we cut funding. We never funded Soldiers and Sirens; it was always funded as an
external provider. In the event that a police officer sought its services, that
funding was provided. The state government has not cut any funding. The federal
government provided a grant that came to an end; that was always going to be
the case. We can only assume that not enough police officers see Soldiers and
Sirens as an attractive option. If hundreds of police officers were using its
services, I imagine it would not need any advocacy from anyone for a million-dollars-per-year
grant, which is what I understand it is seeking.
thank the member for his question. Soldiers and Sirens is a service provider
that was established following a federal government grant in 2019 by Hon Christian Porter of $464 000 over two
years. As I understand it, there are a couple of individuals involved in
that organisation and their proposal was that, as former police officers, they
would be able to provide a service that would be welcomed by police officers in
particular. They labelled the organisation Soldiers and Sirens to show that
they were also focused on trying to provide services to veterans. However, it
is a service provider.
It was recognised by the Western Australia
Police Force. The police provide internal, government-employed services. We have eight psychologists employed by
the department, and a further three are to be employed. I believe we now
have five police chaplains; when I entered Parliament there was one. In recent
times, resources and funding for services to police officers who need
assistance with mental health have increased astronomically—far more so
when we took office. It has been an extraordinary investment under the
leadership of Commissioner Dawson and our government.
However, services are not only
provided by internal resources; external approved providers are also able to be accessed by police officers. For those police
officers who do not wish to see health, welfare and safety branch staff and
would prefer instead to go outside to an independent provider, there is a list
of authorised providers, and Soldiers and Sirens was one of those. For the last
two years or thereabouts, Soldiers and Sirens, amongst other service providers,
has been available to any police officer who wanted to seek out its assistance.
I
can only assume that, following the end of the $464 000 grant, not enough
police officers are seeking out Soldiers and Sirens to sustain the
business—noting that it is a business; it is a proposal for the
provision of services as a business. If that were not the case, there would
have been enough police officers—the hundreds to which the member
referred—to sustain the business, because the Western Australia Police
Force pays for any police officer who seeks out the assistance of the external
providers. I can only assume that not enough police officers saw it as an
attractive option. That may be because, knowing that Soldiers and Sirens are
former police officers, a currently serving police officer who does not want to
seek assistance from an internal provider might view Soldiers and Sirens with much
the same concern as they would the internal providers, and would rather go to
an independent provider altogether.
I cannot say why that problem is there, but it is not because
we cut funding. We never funded Soldiers and Sirens; it was always funded as an
external provider. In the event that a police officer sought its services, that
funding was provided. The state government has not cut any funding. The federal
government provided a grant that came to an end; that was always going to be
the case. We can only assume that not enough police officers see Soldiers and
Sirens as an attractive option. If hundreds of police officers were using its
services, I imagine it would not need any advocacy from anyone for a million-dollars-per-year
grant, which is what I understand it is seeking.
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